Highly accurate precision load cells and electronics from Flintec are being used in new dialysis machines.

They are used in critical organ failure situations, keeping patients alive by measuring precisely the quantities of fresh blood and waste blood involved in the dialysis process.

Flintec’s load cells and electronics carry out highly accurate measurements up to 2,500 times per second.

Flintec Managing Director David Weeks said: “What we have given the clients are products which are far more reliable than the ones offered by their previous supplier and they are delighted with the performance.”

Load cell design experts at Flintec have also created custom-made load cells and connector circuits for a US medical manufacturer’s new infusion pumps.

The infusion pumps are used in fluid drips in a wide range of clinical environments ­ hospitals, outpatient clinics and home care ­ to provide safe and accurate pain relief.

Flintec’s piston load cell is a “very important part of the pump ­ it is critical to the quality,” said Mr Weeks.

Load cell design specialists at Flintec have also designed a force sensor used in an advanced artificial knee joint.

The dual-channel sensor helps to control the movement of the intelligent knee joint so that it flexes or remains firm, depending upon the movements of the user.

Unlike normal artificial legs, which simply swing under gravity, the new knee joint enables a much more natural form of movement.

Mr Weeks said: “It has been used to help injured troops coming back from Afghanistan and Iran.”

Flintec’s rapid expansion in the medical sector is being fuelled by the company’s drive to carry out more custom load cell design work.

The company’s engineers are continually seeking out new challenging new load cell applications that require innovation and custom solutions.

Group Head of Engineering Bruce Somerton’s background is in the medical devices industry, predominantly in the area of patient handling.

Mr Somerton said: “In our work for the medical sector, we are pushing and challenging our engineers.

“You have to consider every possible eventuality, document all the possibilities, assess the risks and then mitigate them.”

For more information about load cell design solutions from Flintec, contact us today.